{UAH} Egyptian woman Amal Fathy jailed for sexual harassment video

Mayimuna/ Afuwa Kasule/ Semuwemba/ Katerergga/ Edward Mo irundriua,

This Egyptian activist, Amal Fathy, wanted to highlight the suffering of women in Egypt, and how a city like Cairo has become a hell-hole for women where no woman can walk alone on the streets without being harrassed, attacked and even raped. She videod herself walking from her home to her bank in Cairo city centre- a walk of under one hour. . And the result was so shocking- the amount of harrasment she had to endure from men made it look as if she was an antelope walking in a den of lions. She uploaded her video on facebook and it immediately went viral. 

Amal Fathy was soon arrested by the Egyptian authorities and prosecuted for "spreading false news". In reality the government was so embarrassed about what everyone knows already- that a combination of  mysoginy and muslim hatred of freedom for women has bred unprecedented craze of  sexual harassment,- any woman seen walking alone on the streets is now considered fair game for abuse, violent assaults and even rape... Amal Fathy has now been sentenced to 2 years in prison.

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Egyptian woman Amal Fathy jailed for sexual harassment video

Former activist charged with 'spreading false news' and having 'indecent material'

Ruth Michaelson

Sat 29 Sep 2018 13.11 BSTLast modified on Sat 29 Sep 2018 17.38 BST

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 Amal Fathy with her husband, Mohamed Lotfy, who was banned from the courthouse during her sentencing. Photograph: IAPL

An Egyptian woman who made a video alleging sexual harassment has been given two years in prison and a fine on charges of "spreading false news".

Amal Fathy, an actor and a former activist, uploaded a video to her Facebook account in May detailing how she was sexually harassed during a visit to her bank and criticising the government's failure to protect women.

Two days after the post, Egyptian security forces entered her home in a pre-dawn raid and arrested her along with her husband and young son, both of whom were later released.

Fathy was subsequently put on trial accused of spreading false news with intent to harm the Egyptian state and possessing "indecent material". She was sentenced to one year in prison for each charge, and given a fine of 10,000 Egyptian pounds (£430) for making "public insults".

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In a second trial that is under way, she faces allegations that include being a member of a terrorist organisation.

In a UN survey in 2013, 99% of Egyptian women reported that they had experienced some form of sexual harassment. Cairo was described as the "most dangerous megacity in the world for women" in a 2017 Thomson Reuters Foundationpoll.

Mohamed Lotfy, Fathy's husband and the head of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms – who was barred from the courthouse during sentencing, said: "The sentencing is an appalling verdict that contains a message for every harasser, that he is free to harass without fearing punishment, and to every victim of harassment that if she speaks out, she will be jailed."

Amnesty International also condemned the sentence.

"This is an outrageous case of injustice, where the survivor is sentenced while the abuser remains at large," said Najia Bounaim, its North Africacampaigns director.

"She is a human rights defender and sexual harassment survivor who told her truth to the world and highlighted the vital issue of women's safety in Egypt. She is not a criminal and should not be punished for her bravery."

Other women who have attempted to publicly discuss their experiences of harassment in Egypt have faced similar treatment.

Mona el-Mazbouh, a Lebanese tourist who recorded a comparable video during her stay in Egypt, was arrested at Cairo airport and sentenced to eight years in prison in July, accused of "spreading false rumours that would harm society, attacking religion and public indecency".

Her sentence was later reduced to one year and then suspended, before she was deported to Lebanon in September.

Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, the Egyptian president, who came to power after a military coup in 2013, drew a large female following, partly due to his promises to ensure women's safety on Egypt's streets and combat harassment.

Maya Morsy, the president of the national council for women, has claimed only 9.6% of women in Egypt have been sexually harassed.

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